Research shows that choosing whether to keep a cat or a dog can predict a person's personality
Just as there is a term 'dog person' and 'cat person,' it is commonly believed that there are personality differences between people who like dogs and people who like cats. A new study has also revealed that people who own dogs and people who own cats have different personalities.
Full article: Unleashing the Personality Divide: Resilience in Dog Owners, Neuroticism in Cat Owners
Personality may predict pet ownership - JCU Australia
https://www.jcu.edu.au/news/releases/2024/august/personality-may-predict-pet-ownership
Your Choice of Pet Could Predict What Kind of Personality You Have : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/your-choice-of-pet-could-predict-what-kind-of-personality-you-have
Psychologists Jessica Oliva and Lea Michelle Baines from James Cook University in Australia conducted a study wondering if the choice between keeping a cat or a dog as a pet could predict a person's personality.
'Dog ownership was associated with reduced loneliness in people living alone during extended isolation periods such as the COVID-19 lockdown, suggesting that dog owners may be more resilient ,' said Oliva. 'We therefore investigated whether owning a dog or cat predicts a person's personality traits and resilience.'
In the study, 329 people, including dog owners, cat owners, and non-owners, were surveyed online and asked to answer demographic and personality questions. The personality traits were measured using the Big
The study found that dog owners showed higher resilience and cat owners showed higher levels of neuroticism, even after controlling for age and gender. 'The higher resilience of dog owners may explain why they felt less lonely during lockdown than non-dog owners,' Oliva said.
This may not be good news for cat owners, but the study only found differences in personality between cat and dog owners, and the reasons for these differences remain unclear.
It's possible that owning a dog can make people more resilient, and owning a cat can make people more neurotic, but the opposite may also be true: people who are naturally more resilient may be more inclined to own dogs, and people who are naturally more neurotic may be more inclined to own cats.
'Interestingly, there is evidence to support the idea that whether or not people keep certain animals is determined by their genes,' Oliva said. 'It may be that animal keeping is influenced by personality traits that are derived from genes, and that both personality traits and the tendency to keep certain animals are heritable.'
Science Alert, a science media outlet, points out that past research has shown that the emotional burden of owning a cat is less than that of a dog, making it easier to keep. People who are easily stressed or self-aware may be better suited to independent pets like cats, while people who are responsible and enjoy emotional investment may be better suited to dogs.
However, of course, having a pet comes with a lot of responsibility, so people shouldn't just get a pet because it suits their personality. 'The decision to get a pet should always be carefully considered, with the commitment to care for the animal for its entire life and the welfare of the animal as the first priority,' Oliva warned.
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